Name: the Bead Society of Greater Washington and the Bead Museum

Grant Applied For: Small Projects Program; city offers up to $1,000 “to make grant funds more accessible for small-scale arts projects”

Money Needed For: upgrading the logos of both the Bead Society and its Bead Museum

Background: In its application, the society states the its mission “is twofold: to encourage the study of beads…[and] foster public appreciation of beads as objects of beauty.”

Plan: On the occasion of its 20th anniversary and the Bead Museum’s 10th, the society, its application states, is looking “to the future with new vigor and a desire for an identity visible in all our signage and printed materials.” Accordingly, the organization plans on spending $3,000 on redesigning its logos, printing new stationery, and informing “key stakeholders” about “the new visual identity program.”

Amount Asked For: $1,000

Status: approved

Upshot: The society has just received its grant money, and Bead Museum Director Tania Said is already hoping for some significant changes. “The logo is just one thing amongst many…that could impact our attendance,” she says. “I would hope to see an increase.” Said, who calls her museum “a service to the city,” says the institution would “have to make some very bad decisions” in order for the logo to drive attendance down.

—Mike Kanin